Alsvid to be rested after fifth in Smile

Alsvid quietly became a millionaire Sunday at Gulfstream Park when he finished fifth in the Grade 2 Smile Sprint. He had been the second choice in the Summit of Speed race after upsetting champion Work All Week in that champion sprinter’s comeback at Churchill Downs, but he ended up chasing wire-to-wire winner Favorite Tale. Alsvid now will get some downtime, trainer Chris Hartman said on Wednesday.

“He’s back at Churchill,” Hartman said. “We’ll just give him a little R&R for 30 days. We’ve got the second half of the year coming up, so that’s what we’re going to focus on. He’s had a great year thus far, and we want to freshen him for the second half.”

Alsvid had won three straight races heading into the Summit of Speed, including the Grade 3 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap at Oaklawn. He also scored a two-length win over 2014 Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Work All Week in the Grade 3 Aristides at Churchill. Alsvid, a regular throughout the Midwest, was making his first start in Florida in the Smile Sprint.

“He didn’t fare well in the heat,” Hartman said. “I think that was his biggest deal. He lost a lot of weight coming out of that race.”

After Alsvid is freshened, a likely fall objective will be the Grade 3, $250,000 Phoenix at Keeneland on Oct. 2, Hartman said.

“That’s our goal now,” he said. “Freshen him up, maybe get a little something right before that, then shoot for that.”

Alsvid is a 6-year-old by Officer. He has won 13 of 31 starts, including nine stakes. His earnings stand at $1,001,425 after the $7,200 check he earned in the Smile Sprint. Alsvid races for Black Hawk Stable.

Ward filly vs. boys Friday

Bottle Walk will meet male rivals Friday at Gulfstream in the sixth race, a $50,000 maiden-claiming sprint for 2-year-olds. Trained by Wesley Ward, the filly is a first-time starter by Tale of the Cat. Tale of the Cat gets 16 percent juvenile debut winners, according Daily Racing Form statistics.

The field for the five-furlong race also includes Alex the Dude, a first-time starter by First Dude trained by David Fawkes. First Dude is a young stallion who has one 2-year-old debut winner from eight such starters, according to DRF statistics.